High pressure vapour-liquid equilibrium data of fluorochemical systems for various temperatures using a new static apparatus.

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The thermodynamic knowledge of accurate phase equilibrium data plays an important role in the design and optimization of separation processes in chemical and engineering industries. Vapour-liquid equilibrium data are essential for the design of efficient separation processes such as distillation. The presented research study is mainly focused on the vapour-liquid equilibrium data measurement of fluorochemical and hydrocarbon binary systems at various temperatures and at high pressures. A new static analytical apparatus was constructed and commissioned for the measurement of accurate and precise vapour-liquid equilibrium data at temperatures and absolute pressures ranging from low temperatures to 323.15 K and 0 to 10 MPa respectively. The new apparatus incorporates the ROLSI TM sampler, a sampling technique developed by the CEP/TEP laboratory in Fontainebleau, France. Isothermal high pressure VLE data were measured for three binary systems comprising of hexafluoroethane (R116) + propane, HFPO + propane and ethane + octafluoropropane (R218). The R116 + propane system at 263.15 K was measured as a test system using the new static apparatus. These measurements helped to confirm the functioning of the experimental apparatus. The reliability and the reproducibility of the experimental procedure were also checked. The data obtained were in excellent agreement with data in the literature. Thereafter, measurements of previously unmeasured systems were undertaken. Isothermal vapour-liquid equilibrium data measurements for the ethane + octafluoropropane system were performed at five isotherms with temperatures and pressures ranging from 264.05 to 308.04 K and 0.298 to 4.600 MPa respectively. The five isotherms constitute new experimental data. The HFPO + propane system was also investigated and vapour-liquid equilibrium data were measured at three isotherms (283.05, 303.05 and 323.05 K) with pressures ranging from 0.437 to 2.000 MPa. The data measured also constitute a set of a new HPVLE data. The uncertainties in the measurement for both systems were within ± 0.09 K, ± 0.0016 MPa and less than 2% for temperatures, pressures and mole fractions, respectively. All experimental data were correlated via the direct method using the Peng-Robinson equation of state with the Mathias-Copeman alpha function and the Wong-Sandler mixing rules incorporating the NRTL activity coefficient model. The consistency of the measured VLE data was tested using the Van Ness point test which yielded few points of difference between the measured and calculated data, suggesting a low error rate.